RSA Events

Richard Sennett, one of the world's leading thinkers on the urban environment, traces the relationship between how cities are built and how people live in them. In describing how cities such as Paris, Barcelona and New York assumed their modern forms, Sennett explores the intimate relationship between the good built environment and the good life. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Thursday...

Daniel Coyle, New York Times bestselling author of The Talent Code, reveals the team-building skills behind some of the most effective organisations in the world. He examines the verbal and physical cues that bring people together, and determines specific strategies that encourage collaboration and build trust. And he offers cautionary tales of toxic cultures and advises how to reform them, above...

Entrepreneur Laurence Kemball-Cook visits the RSA to discuss the role that design can play in building an economy and industry fit for the future. The off-grid energy and data business has grown rapidly since it was founded in 2009 and Laurence has built a wealth of experience in design technology, innovation, scaling, and reaching new markets. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Wednesday...

As the Citizens’ Economic Council launches its final report, we hear from participants and public figures including Andrew Haldane, Bank of England; Patricia Wharton, CEC member; Anand Menon, UK in a Changing Europe; and Gemma Tetlow, Financial Times. The programme travelled across the UK, and listened to groups that included steelworkers, students and LGBT community members, all calling for chang...

In his first major speech, the new Secretary of State for Justice, the Rt Hon David Gauke MP, will outline his view on the future of prisons and rehabilitation. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Tuesday 6th March 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/03/prisons---david-gauke

Shadow Attorney General, Shami Chakrabarti, argues that gender injustice is the greatest human rights abuse on the planet, and proposes a new way forward. From the disparity in the number of births to issues of schooling, work, ownership, faith, political representation and international diplomacy, Chakrabarti will outline what needs fixing and make clear, inspiring proposals about what we do next...

Award-winning architect Alison Brooks speaks about architects’ duties to respond to the social, cultural and physical context in their work. Pioneering architect Alison Brooks believes in the transformative social role of architecture, and has led new design thinking, in particular on housing and urban design. Committed to design responsive to people and place, Alison creates environments that are...

The challenges we face today are formidable. But, argues influential global thinker Steven Pinker, our problems are solvable. What we need now is an Enlightenment recharged for the 21st century. Pinker argues that we must recognise and celebrate the remarkable gains that have been made in every measure of human wellbeing. If you follow trendlines rather than headlines, you discover that our lives...

How can learning be strengthened to meet the demands of the 21st century? RSA Chief Executive Matthew Taylor explores how we create an environment of active learning and increase opportunities for development and fulfilment. Lifelong learning has never been more crucial. We face the challenge of a workplace which is transforming rapidly while technology is driving massive economic and social chang...

A powerful movement is growing in force – but where will it go next? The ‘Weinstein effect’ has seen revelations of pervasive sexual assault and exploitation come to light across the world, sparking the #MeToo and TIME’S UP campaigns aimed at giving women a voice in tackling systemic injustice. Panel: Laura Bates, bestselling author and founder of the Everyday Sexism project; Helen Pankhurst, auth...

Why are we still struggling to get disadvantaged students into university? An expert panel featuring Alan Rusbridger, Principal of Lady Margaret Hall, gathers to discuss how to make education fairer. Despite efforts by universities and schools across the country, the gap between richer and poorer students stubbornly persists; from attainment in school to university application and acceptance. Educ...

Timothy Morton, hailed as the 'philosopher prophet of the Anthropocene', invites us to a revolution in the way we understand our place in the world. In his new work, Morton confronts the information-dump fatigue of the digital age, by offering no ecological 'facts' but instead a radically invigorated and liberating approach to understanding ourselves, our interconnectedness with each other and the...

Bestselling author and RSA Animate sensation Dan Pink reveals the ideal ‘when’ for every decision. Timing is everything- but how much do we know about timing itself? Our lives are a never-ending stream of “when” decisions: when to start a business, schedule a class, get serious about a person. Yet we make those decisions based on intuition and guesswork. This event was recorded live at The RSA on...

Bestselling author Johann Hari explains why everything we’ve been told about depression and anxiety is wrong, and how we must drastically change our way of living if we are to thrive. Hailed by Elton John, Emma Thompson, Russell Brand, Arianna Huffington, Alistair Campbell, Davina McCall and many more, Hari uses his social science training to investigate the causes of depression and anxiety – and...

In an era of unprecedented change and polarizing politics, clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson offers a message of individual responsibility and ancient wisdom as an antidote to chaos. His advice ranges from putting your own house in order before criticising others, to comparing yourself to who you were yesterday, rather than someone else today. Happiness is a futile goal, he says. Instead, we m...

Geoff Mulgan, CEO of Nesta, explores how thinking collectively – whether in groups, or with the help of machines – is the answer to solving our biggest challenges. Figuring out the most effective ways to design and foster collective intelligence could be seen as our biggest current challenge, since there is little prospect of solving our other grand challenges of climate, health, prosperity, or wa...

An expert panel gathers to look back on a year of seismic events and world-changing headlines. Featuring Ian Leslie, commentator and author of Born Liars and Curiosity: Why Our Future Depends on it. 2017 has had its fair share of news – Donald Trump’s inauguration; a snap election and subsequent coalition in the UK; the triggering of Article 50 and ongoing Brexit negotiations; the horrific Westmin...

Author and FT contributor Stefan Stern debunks some of the famous myths surrounding management and leadership. Using insights from psychology, leadership theory and organizational behaviour, he will provide a compelling and practical guide to avoid falling into the trap of management cliché, misinformation and prejudice. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Thursday 7th December 2017. Discov...

65 million people are caught up in the global refugee crisis. CEO of the IRC David Miliband shows why we should care, and what we can do to make a difference. Taking us from war zones in the Middle East to the heart of Europe, he explores the current crisis and shows what can be done, not just by governments with the power to change policy but by citizens with the urge to change lives. This event...

Tristram Carfrae, incoming Master of the RDI Faculty will speak about the value of the human aspects of design in an automated world. Carfrae considers the positive value of design and its impact on all our lives. From creating a process, service or plan that improves efficiency to transforming the world around us through a better built environment. He argues that the importance of creative design...

Bestselling author and podcaster Gretchen Rubin identifies four main personality types, and shows how using this framework will change everyone’s lives for the better. During her lifelong investigation into human nature, explored most recently in her bestselling book Better Than Before, Rubin realised that by asking the seemingly dry question 'How do I respond to expectations?' we gain life changi...

What has led to the rise of the ‘intangible economy’? And what impact is it having on levels of inequality and productivity? Economic analysts Stian Westlake and Jonathan Haskel investigate. For all sorts of businesses, from tech firms and pharma companies to coffee shops and gyms, the ability to deploy assets that one can neither see nor touch is increasingly the main source of long-term success....

Eden Project chief executive Gordon Seabright joins an expert panel to share insights into the characteristics, challenges and rewards of leading a community enterprise. Do we still need visionary ‘hero’ leaders – rugged individualist entrepreneurs that can inspire people and struggle through adversity to pursue their dream? Or is leadership a more collective quality to be shared and nurtured amon...

Julian Astle, Daisy Christodoulou, Peter Hyman and David Laws consider how to reform education so that it prepares young people not just to write a good exam, but to live a good life. Schools need to be accountable to taxpayers and parents to ensure money is well spent and children well taught. But with the accountability system dominating so much of what England’s state funded schools now do, are...

Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder and Head of Applied AI at DeepMind, considers what tech companies have got wrong, how to fix it, and how to ensure they contribute to greater economic and social justice. It’s no secret that technology companies are changing the world. But as technology plays a larger role in key social institutions we value and revere—from healthcare to electoral politics—guaranteeing...